Despised
by HippiestHop
Summary: Cloud and Yuffie are thrown into the world of Harry Potter, third year. Cloud's POV. Sirius does not make and appearance for awhile yet.
1. Prologue

"Yuffie, get back!"

The young ninja shook her head fiercely and resumed her battle stance, the handle of her massive shuriken slamming back into her palm. This Sephiroth was actually Kadaj, she knew it. What she wanted to know was how he had just absorbed materia like that, right into his arm.

Sephiroth/Kadaj stepped forward, his disproportionate sword somehow appearing in his hand. She really wanted to figure out how to do that, too. Man, why do the bad guys get all the awesome stuff, anyways?

Then there was this sound like metal tearing through a chalkboard, and Yuffie dropped to the ground, slapping her hands to her ears. Cloud and Seph, the two with enhanced senses, were even more affected, or at least, that's what she assumed. The black haired girl was a bit busy cringing in pain.

She started sliding forward, but the ground wasn't tipping. The noise had ended, luckily, so Yuffie was able to look up. She was being pulled towards a purple and black swirly thing, and it was really uncomfortable because it felt like she was being pulled by her stomach. She tried to stop herself, she really did, digging her heels into the ground and everything, but she never even slowed.

Yuffie's foot went through first. It was really cold, then she just couldn't feel it. It just… disappeared.

Dumbledore was looking through the letters, as he always did before they were sent out. Normally nothing was wrong, but even magical quills can make mistakes, and they don't need another incident of a muggle getting a letter. Of course, then she had to go and put it all over the interwebs, or whatever that muggle contraption was called, and obliviators were sent all over the place.

"Hmm… Kisaragi, Yuffie? And Strife, Cloud? Why are they next to each other? Their last names aren't even close to starting with the same letter. And they're in the forbidden fore-. Oh. I'll ask Hagrid to come with me. It seems we have some students to collect."

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Despised, Prologue. 340 words. Updated November 1, 2012.

Yes this is pathetically short. Don't worry, the next one's longer.


	2. At Hogwarts

Cloud's eyes opened, but he wasn't quite awake when they did. The first thing he was aware of was white. No pain, no sound, just white. White is not a good color to wake up to. White of the color of hospitals, lab coats, sterilized thing, and doctors. Until they get stained with red.

There was no pain, somehow, though Cloud doubted that would last long. The last time…. No. This isn't it. It's been half a year. _He_ is gone. They both are.

But not completely. _He_, the despised one, is gone, but the other – Zack – is still here. Not in body maybe, but they kind of share a head. That's the only good thing _he_ ever did.

Or at least, Cloud hopes _he _did it, because otherwise, Zack really is gone, and Cloud can't stand to be alone, not anymore. If it wasn't _him_ that did it, Cloud was crazy. Better crazy than alone, at any rate.

"Why hello there," a woman's voice spoke brightly, and Cloud's head would have snapped around if he hadn't felt sedated. They had given him something, he knew it. There was no other reason he would feel so artificially calm, unless it was an after effect of the fight with Sephiroth or that dark purple tear. It was his guess that the metamorphosis of Kadaj into Sephiroth was so illogical that when Sephiroth summoned his sword out of nothingness for the ten billionth time, reality just couldn't take it anymore and partially fell apart. Of course, that idea didn't make much sense either, but it was better than anything Zack could have come up with.

Thankfully the speaker moved around to the front of the bed – and it was a bed, not a metal table – and into Cloud's line of sight. She was a middle aged woman, her graying hair loosely tied back, and she was wearing, of all things, a black, floor length robe. That's when he knew he had lost it.

"The sleeping draught shouldn't have worn off for hours," she murmured, too low for a normal person to hear. "The girl shows no sign of waking up."

That's right, Yuffie! She was there when he was fighting Sephiroth, so she would have been pulled into that purple thing too, right? "Where is she?" Cloud rasped, the 'sleeping draught,' whatever that was, keeping him from doing anything quickly.

The woman blinked, pausing in her movement. "Oh, your friend? On the bed next to you, dear."

Cloud shifted his head to the left, something melting near his sternum unclenching when he saw the Wutaian princess on the bed with no visible wounds. It was getting easier to move now, as the Mako fought off whatever foreign substance they had put in his body.

What he saw next shocked him more than should have been possible considering he had seen people sprout wings. Or was it Zack who had seen that? It was hard to tell.

The woman, presumably a nurse of some sort despite the black robe, took out a short stick. This, by itself, would have been strange, but no concern of his. However, when she waved the stick and a vial flew to he hand, that was a bit too much. He backed up, squishing against the wall the bed was touching, and tried to ignore the amused voice in his head.

'Magic, huh?' the Zack-voice intoned. Cloud scowled. Like he didn't have enough on his hands already. 'It's not _that_ unbelievable. I mean, materia is basically magic, right?'

"Be quiet, Zack," Cloud hissed, not needing his friend's commentary in this potentially hostile area.

Unfortunately, the lady heard him. "What was that, dear? Didn't quite catch you."

Do not reveal your ignorance, one part of him said. Cloud didn't know where he had learned that, or how long ago. His memory was a bit spotty before his joining AVALANCHE. He normally listened to the voices in his head, unless it was Zack messing around. Cloud thought this one might be a memory of one of the infantry trainers, as the voice sounded vaguely like what he remembered of a drill instructor. And of course, it was always better to be underestimated, but if he didn't ask questions, he probably wouldn't be getting information anytime soon.

"Why am I here?" the blond growled, trying to appear intimidating while cowering against a wall. All of this white was getting to him.

The woman opened her mouth to speak before hesitating and closing it again. Either she didn't know why he was here, she wasn't allowed to tell, or he had woken up before and didn't remember asking. The three were equally likely.

Then she answered, "I'll get Dumbledore," and strode away. Apparently this Dumbledore character was her boss. It appeared he had been captured by some unknown organization, but they had to be better than Hojo because they was at least providing beds.

'Hojo gave us mako beds,' Zack commented wryly, causing Cloud to sigh.

Determinedly ignoring the voice in his head, Cloud better examined the room. There was a cupboard with various bottles of different shapes and colors, and two wooden doors. It was definitely very white, but not so much in the science-y type of way. More like a hospital, but not an official one because there were ten beds in the room. They each had a curtain that could curve around them for potential privacy.

Luckily, he still had his clothes, minus a shoulder guard and his boots. Cloud would have to get his sword back before Yuffie and he got out of there. There wasn't enough time to determine why they had been imprisoned. Maybe since their captors were thoughtful enough to give them a comfortable detainment area, Cloud wouldn't have to hurt them. The beds were probably used for other purposes, considering the number of them and their quality, but people obviously weren't meant to be there long term. It was like a sickroom used in a quarantine. For epidemics. Like the Geostigma.

He still had that. Hopefully they wouldn't notice.

… Yeah right. Like he was ever that lucky. Okay, maybe surviving a fatal wound given by Sephiroth took some major luck, but the way things had turned out, the blue eyed man was pretty sure it wasn't the good kind. Was he even a man, or stuck eternally as a teenager? He and Zack had managed to convince himself that Hojo's meddling didn't make him a monster, mostly because Cloud refused to believe Zack was a monster, and Zack insisted that he would be able to tell if the SOLDIER's little spiky haired buddy had turned into something horrendous, but he still couldn't even be sure how old he was. Did people age when they were submerged in Mako? And with Zack's memories added to the mix, was his brain older than his body? Then again, he was probably missing enough of his own experiences to even out for it, but he was no scientist.

And neither were these people. They probably thought Geostigma was contagious, and were quarantining him and the person he was found with in an effort to prevent further spread of the disease. You would think getting falsely quarantined once would be enough to satiate Minerva, but no, she just had to give it another go. Being cooped up for two weeks again would only serve in driving him crazier.

Then the door along the wall he was on opened, and a very, _very_ old man walked in. Cloud had never seen a man that old, or with a beard so long. Apparently neither had Zack.

'He kind of looks like Lazard when he was degrading if you take away about fifty years or so.' Zack paused, before adding, 'How is that even possible? The oldest person I ever met was about sixty five, and I've met a lot of people!'

"Hello," the old man greeted pleasantly, walking to the foot of Cloud's cot. This 'Dumbledore' character was wearing a mauve robe, similar to the nurse's black one, just… more… colorful. There was also a similarly colored pointed hat with a rather large brim settled upon his long, white hair.

"Dumbledore," Cloud started, stumbling over the strange name. "It's not contagious. No one else will get Geostigma if you let me and the girl go." The ex-mercenary didn't have time for this. Sephiroth was on the loose somewhere, and he couldn't afford to be caught up in some debate about the nature of the disease with the silver haired villain was free to continue his plan, whatever it was.

One aged eyebrow rose on Cloud's, he hesitated to say captor as no person that old could be anything but a civilian, restrainer's visage. "Geostigma?" The ancient man asked, sounding too surprised. Everyone knew about the black disease. "You don't appear to be sick. Your cuts and bruises were healed by Madam Pomfrey when you arrived. I am sure she would have alerted me to any injuries or sicknesses beyond her ability."

Cloud snorted. Surely these people knew that not everything could be fixed with something as easy as a Cure3 or an Esuna. Zack was a little more uncertain, for a change. 'Spiky, I think they really don't know.'

You know what would be nice? Cloud thought as he considered his answer while studying the man in front of him further. If he could talk to the voices in his head _in his head_. It was a bit hard to ask his dead friend – and he did know how ridiculous that sounded, but the Zack-voice and seriously helped him out a few times – what he meant while he was being, well, not quite interrogated. Or at least, he assumed it was going to be an interrogation.

Slowly, the blond rolled up his left sleeve, exposing his blackened arm. Pomfrey, who had come in behind Dumbledore, gasped and rushed to his side. Cloud flinched backwards, holding his arm to his chest. He didn't need any more people testing him.

"What happened?" she asked, obviously curious as well as concerned.

It was becoming more and more apparent that these people didn't mean either of them harm. However, he couldn't risk them finding out Yuffie's identity, and hopefully they didn't know his own.

Cloud brushed off her question with a grunt and let his sleeve fall back down, keeping his eyes on the old man. The surprise shown at the mention of Geostigma and the sight of Cloud's arm seemed genuine. Maybe the disease and somehow never reached here, or no one had reason to be affected by it. Still, he was pretty sure the whole planet knew about Geostigma, and something about this whole event just seemed a little off. Well, a bit more than a little, considering the magic sticks and floating vials. Maybe… "Where are we?"

Dumbledore beamed, looking almost scarily happy. Not to mention his eyes looked like they could start a fire, the way they were sparking. "Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, my boy. I'm the Headmaster, Professor Dumbledore."

Cloud let a glimmer of skepticism show on his face while Zack was choking in his head. 'Okay, little floating things are fine by me, but a _school_ devoted to _witchcraft_? And what is _wizardry_ supposed to be anyway? Probably the process of making whatever he's on.'

The black-clad blond completely agreed. He sighed before trying again. "Alright, sir. What town is your school in?" Cloud wasn't about to waste time arguing with crazy people.

"Hogsmeade. Are you muggle-born, by any chance?"

Cloud wanted to go back to sleep and wake up somewhere else. He didn't know if he could handle much more of this nonsense. "What continent?"

The senile man's smile faded slightly. "Europe. I'm sorry you couldn't be told earlier, my boy, but you are a wizard. Do you know what that means?"

Cloud closed his eyes and buried his head in his arms.

Zack started laughing.

The girl on the bed to his left smirked, glad she was still 'asleep.'

"I'm sorry, old man, but we really have some place to be and don't have time to be your minions right now. Could you please just tell us where our weapons are so we can be on our way?"

Dumbledore shook his head, "I'm sorry, m'boy, but I'm afraid I can't allow you to do that. You see, untrained, your magic will become chaotic to the extent that it reaches out of your body and effects the area around you. Children, before they are taught, have a mild version of this that appears with extreme emotion that we call accidental magic, and usually is not detrimental to living beings. However, with enough time people will be in danger just from being near you, regardless of how you are feeling."

Yuffie scoffed, rolling her eyes. "Yeah right, I still don't believe you. The only magical stuff I've done was with materia."

"Yuffie," Cloud grunted, shooting her a warning look. They didn't need to give the old man any more information, not when they still hadn't figured out where they were. Despite the fact that Dumbledore was clearly out of his mind, the 'Headmaster' currently held all of the power.

Indeed, Dumbledore hadn't understood the word. "Materia?" he questioned with a smile, his eyes lighting up almost as much as Mako would make them glow.

"Nothing important," Cloud butted in, heading off an interrogation. "Just a superstition from Yuffie's home."

The headmaster's smile faded slightly and he sat back in his chair. "I'm sure just stepping out of this room will convince you two. You will soon see that magic does in fact exist, despite what you have been taught."

Dumbledore got to his feet and swept towards the door, leaving Cloud and Yuffie to follow him. Yuffie bounced along behind Cloud, who was moving slowly and checking the doorway for traps. Dumbledore opened the door and stood back, allowing them to see outside of it, and Yuffie gasped.

Cloud's eyes widened, as not only were paintings talking to each other and moving to other canvases, which could be faked with a screen, but there was an empty suit of armor walking down the hall. The torso was separated from the bottom and helmet, and he could see straight through what would be the person's stomach and neck.

Cloud turned to the headmaster, keeping the enchanted suit of armor in his peripheral vision. "Say we do believe you, that magic exists. What makes you so sure that we have it?"

Dumbledore smiled, the sparkle in his eyes returning full force. "That's easy," the man replied, taking off his glasses. "Why do you think I wear glasses when magic can correct even the most injured eye, as long as it's not completely blind?"

Cloud hesitantly slipped on the glasses, and almost gasped at the color floating around the place. Bright white lines flowed along Dumbledore's veins, and looking at Pomfrey showed the same results, though slightly duller and less organized. He looked at Yuffie next, and was slightly alarmed at the tangle that was what he assumed was her magic. It followed no particular pattern, darting brighter in some places and duller in others, curling around and back on itself or zigzagging away to the tips of her fingers. Looking down at his hands, he saw that his own magic was even more disorganized, to the extent that he could barely see individual strands, and parts were poking out through his skin and flailing about wildly. One glance at the suit of armor showed a green pattern of what looked like some type of rune sketched over the entire thing. The paintings were surrounded by more foggy green, and looking closely at the castle walls and floor showed it was tinged a faint blue. "We'll do it," Cloud whispered, sliding off the glasses and thrusting them back at the white haired man.

"Excellent!" Dumbledore cried, placing his glasses back on his face and grinning widely at the two new students. "Now, I'm afraid you're going to have to enter third year, as you can't pass as anything younger and the school board would object to placing teenagers in a room with first years. So, for the next two and a half weeks you'll be living in Gryffindor tower and taking a, what is that term muggles use, a crash path in magic."

Cloud glanced at Yuffie and felt relieved when she appeared excited. Regardless of whether or not the old man was lying about untrained magic being dangerous, there was no doubt the skill would be useful, whether as leader of Wutai, mercenary, or deliveryman.

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Despised, Chapter 2. 2,703 words. Updated November 1st.

That's right, an up and coming NaNoWriMo fanfiction. To those who read my other story, sorry. I'll get back to it sometime.


	3. Diagon Alley

"Come _on,_ Cloud. Stop being so slow!" Yuffie cried, racing through the alley.

Cloud trotted after her. They had long since lost their watcher, a large, eccentric man by the name of Hagrid. The groundskeeper seemed alright, but he was no match for Yuffie's energy. In the end the Wutaian thief had just stolen some coins from one of the man's many pockets. Cloud would normally have watched her go, but he didn't trust this place or the people in it, leaving him no choice but to follow after her.

"Yuffie, you're not getting a broom. I don't care if it says they can fly," he said, grabbing her by the elbow and leading her away from the odd store. Cloud was not about to allow Yuffie to risk her life high in the air on a cleaning instrument, regardless of any magical claims.

Finally they came upon a bookstore, a place Cloud thought might be sensible, only to see on the front clearance rack titles like Magical Me and Walking with Werewolves. Maybe he had seen creatures stranger than the odd wolf on the cover of the second, he had almost become one, but the cover was moving, and showed a highly unrealistic fight between the beast and a blond haired man with a sparkling smile.

Cloud looked over to see Yuffie staring him down. "…What?" he demanded, leaning slightly away.

Yuffie snorted before turning to the 'Hogwarts' section. "Just making sure you know we're not going to be spending the whole day here. Places to go, things to see, magic to do, and besides, Hagrid says there's a huge library back at the castle to look through."

In truth, Cloud wasn't much a fan of reading. That is to say, he didn't enjoy it. However, he had learned to figure out dangers before leaping into them, and books held that necessary knowledge. He had also taken to reading about historic battles, and had mapped out quite a few strategies for different situations involving Shinra, just in case.

"Yeah, I know," he murmured in reply, moving to help her pick out their required readings.

They quickly gathered all but one, The Monster book of Monsters. For some reason there was a ragged looking pile of them in a locked cage, and when he asked the cashier if he could get two the man shuddered and got out a pair of thick leather gloves. As soon as the worker snapped open the lock the books inside started somehow throwing themselves about the cage snapping at the leather covered hands like a cornered beast. The shop keeper grabbed two and closed the door with a clang, throwing the two wild books at the wide eyed Cloud.

Cloud caught the two, well, one of them caught him, and they immediately fell limp in his arms, the one with bloodied teeth wrapped around his arm falling to the floor. Yuffie picked it up hugged it to her chest, and it drowsily woke and started purring as she rubbed her cheek against it. The poor worker just stared in shock, and it took two tries for Cloud's question to be heard.

"How much is this?" he asked, and listened attentively as the shopkeeper explained the odd currency. Gil was really much simpler.

On the way out Yuffie was still nuzzling the book, and at his curious glance she exclaimed, "It's just like a cat! Oh, do you think they have cats here? I always wanted one before but Dad was allergic and I've been too busy since. It said on that list they gave us that they allow pets! Please, Cloud?"

He sighed, but nodded. "Fine, but only if we have enough money after getting everything else. And don't get an expensive one, we are using someone else's money."

"Yes!" Yuffie cheered, dropping her book into her bag and turning to face Cloud. "So, where to next?"

Cloud glanced down. They had gotten their robes and potions equipment when they were still with Hagrid, and it looked like the only thing left was a wand, whatever that was. Glancing around, he saw an old woman with a similar list walking around with a black haired boy and walked off to go ask them.

"Excuse me," he murmured, making an effort not to stare at the lady's hat. "I was wondering if you could tell me a decent place to find a wand."

Yuffie, who had followed him, jumped in at the woman's skeptical stare. "Hi! I'm Yuffie, and this is Cloud. We're going to Hogwarts this year, but we haven't been in Diagon Alley before, so if you could tell us that would be great!"

The woman narrowed her eyes, the hat with a what looked to be a dead bird bobbing slightly with her movement. "Aren't you a little old for a first year?" She demanded, jabbing a finger at them.

Just then a soft voice broken in from the side. "Grandmother," The black haired boy said shyly, "please." He looked at Cloud and Yuffie, hesitantly adding, "I'm Neville. I'm going into my third year at Hogwarts."

Neville's grandmother stepped forward, effectively blocking off her grandson. "Olivander's is the place you want to go for a wand, five stores down on the left. Though I still say you look too old to be a first year."

"We're not." All three of them looked at Cloud in confusion, Yuffie silently mouthing, 'what do you think you're doing, of course it's our first year, you're not all messed up in the head again are you? Because we really can't have you in a coma for a week, and I am definitely not helping you sort out those crazy memories of yours.' "First years. We're going into third year, we're catching up over the castle over the summer. Before we had," Cloud paused, glancing at Yuffie before finishing, "family problems."

Neville's grandmother nodded and led the boy away, and Yuffie was staring at Cloud incredulously while Zack was cackling in his head.

"Family problems? Seriously?" Yuffie shouted, before noticing the stares they were getting and quieting down. "That's honestly the best you could come up with."

Zack's chuckles slowly dies out, and he told Cloud, 'Tell her Spiky, this'll be great.'

Cloud nodded, explaining to Yuffie a bit sheepishly, "It's true. Jenova said she was Sephiroth's mother, and since me, Kadaj, Yazoo, and Loz are Sephiroth clones, well…"

Yuffie shuddered. "Gotcha, you've said enough. So you all are clones of Sephiroth and have crazy voices in your head calling themselves your mom? Why aren't you all silver haired and psycho like them?"

"Well, I'm not exactly a full clone," Cloud added, starting to walk along towards the wand shop. "I was a normal person until I was sixteen, when Hojo tried to make me a clone, and it only kind of worked."

Yuffie nodded, staying quiet for half a moment before bouncing off again. Hopefully Cloud would learn a spell to calm her down at this magic school. He really had no idea how she was able to lead Wutai, when she couldn't concentrate for more than a few minutes. Then again, she hadn't been nearly so chaotic when they had actually needed to save the world, so she probably could sit still when she really needed to.

Yuffie stopped at a old looking store and turned to face Cloud, waving her arms and shouting, "This is it, Olivander's!"

Cloud nodded and strode forward with more purpose, watching carefully as Yuffie opened the door and went through. He followed close behind but stopped as soon as he was inside, seeing that there was no one at the desk. "Yuffie, I don't think they're open," he murmured, feeling uneasy in the dusty store.

Suddenly he sensed someone to the side and spun around, only to come face to face with an old, pale man. His dark grey hair was unkempt and knotted, and his clothes were dully colored. He did not wear the strange robes like many in the alley did, but a loose shirt and pants, what wizards called 'muggle' clothes.

"Can I help you?" Cloud asked nervously, shifting at the intense stare of the man.

"I assume you are here for a wand?" The man returned, whipping out a measuring tape and setting it to measuring Cloud.

Cloud stepped back in alarm as the enchanted object whirred around his head and down his arm. "Uh, yeah. Are you… Olivander?"

The man didn't answer, but Cloud decided to take that as a yes. After all, he was the only one in the store, and no one would hire someone who looked like they belonged in an insane asylum. Olivander hurried behind the desk to the many shelves filled with thin wooden boxes, mumbling to himself.

"Here we go," the man exclaimed, snatching a box off of the rack and setting it down on the desk. "Mahogany with unicorn tail hair, nice and whippy. Go on, give it a wave."

Cloud hesitantly picked up the smoothed stick, batting away the measuring tape when it buzzed near his ear. He glanced at Olivander one more time, and at the man's enthused nodding flicked his wrist. The blond dropped the wand when one of the chairs hit the wall with a bang, reaching for his missing sword before realizing Dumbledore still had it.

"Not that one, eh?" The shop owner placed the wand in the box and it floated back to its original place while he roamed the shelves again. "Close though, quite close. Try this one, 10 ½ inches, blackthorn and unicorn hair. Good for transfiguration."

Cloud picked up the wand, jolting in surprise when a warmth flowed up his arm and a soft light flowed out of the stick, illuminating a beaming Olivander.

"That's the one for you, now on to the young lady. Wand arm?"

The process resumed for Yuffie, though it took a longer time. Where Cloud had gotten his wand on the second try, she took around seventeen. The young thief ended up with an 11 inch wand of cherry and the feather of a phoenix.

"That'll be fourteen galleons, please," Olivander said as he moved back behind the desk.

Cloud took out fourteen of the heavy yellow coins and handed them over. The bookstore employee had told him that those were the most valuable of the coins and it felt a bit ridiculous to be spending that much on two sticks when they had gotten all of their books for twelve, but it's not like they had much of a choice in the matter.

As soon as they got out of the dimly lit shop Yuffie exploded with joy. "Yes! That's it Cloud, we're going to the pet store now!" She raced off, a resigned Cloud chasing close behind.

As soon as they got there Yuffie raced over to the cats, delighted to find little furballs of all colors and fur lengths. Meanwhile, Cloud explored more practical options. He had heard that owls were used to send letters and packages here, and asked an employee if it would be a good idea to get one.

"Of course, everyone should have an owl!" the girl exclaimed with a smile. Of course, she could be only saying that because she was trying to sell him one. "They can carry to letters to any person you want. As long as you know their name, the owl will be able to find them."

Cloud stared at her incredulously. "How are owls supposed to be able to find the recipient?" he demanded in a monotone, convinced this was some sort of scam.

"You know, I'm not really sure. Hold on," the girl replied, fishing a small card out of her back pocket and searching through the tiny print on it. "Carrier owls are highly trained magical creatures who are able to sense the magical signature of the owl's owner as well as those the owl has met. Once your carrier owl has been exposed to a person, the owl will never forget the magical signature and will be able to find that person through the end of their life. Well, I guess the owl needs to be around the person first, but otherwise they just find the magical signature."

Cloud hummed an agreement before asking, "Would an owl be able find a muggle?"

The employee nodded firmly, stuffing the card back into her pocket. "Even the least magical person has a bit of magic in them, and owls can totally find anything. That's why we use them, and not seagulls or something."

Cloud grunted and turned to look at the owls, immediately crossing the nearly entirely white and the yellow one off of his list. If he was going to get a messenger bird, as PHSs didn't seem to work here, it was going to be an inconspicuous one. He picked out a medium sized dark brown one and brought it to the counter, pulling out enough money to pay for it. After buying the bird Cloud went to get Yuffie, who was still cooing over the cats.

"I got us an owl," he commented, watching two kittens struggle over the same toy.

Yuffie swung around, her eyes wide. "You got a pet? That's so awesome! I figured you were going to be boring again and say that you're fine without a little friend. What's its name?"

Cloud stepped back, startled at her sudden enthusiasm. "Its… name? I hadn't thought of giving it one, I just got it in case we need to send a message. You can name it if, you want. It's a girl."

The black haired ninja pouted. "Come on, Cloud, you need to have more fun. Here we are in this crazy magical world, and you decide to just go on being your normal boring self, all dreary humorless. I'm not going to name your owl for you, you can have that job yourself. Maybe she'll be able to do what I can't and convince you that you don't always have to be so responsible. I'm getting a cat, this gray one here, so can I have the money?"

Cloud nodded automatically and handed over the pouch, surprised she didn't just take it. "Am I really that boring?" he murmured, kneeling down next to his owl.

'Sorry Cloudy, but you kind of are,' Zack responded. 'Oh don't make that face at me, I know how awesome you really are, but you're so shy you come off a little bland.'

The ex-mercenary stared at his owl, considering possible names. If Yuffie and Zack wanted him to name this owl he would. "How about Cissnei?" he asked quietly, feeling more than a bit foolish talking to a bird. The newly named Cissnei cooed in response, and Cloud's lips curved up the smallest amount. In his head, Zack remained silent.

Yuffie returned, her energetic aura fully returned. "So?" She asked, "Have you named her yet?"

Cloud nodded. "Cissnei."

"That's a great name! I decided to name my little cat after Marlene, she'll be delighted when we get back and I show her." Then her grin faded, and she looked up at him with sad eyes. "As soon as we figure out how to get back, that is. Maybe learning magic will help us recreate that purple portal thing?"

Though he felt horrible about it, Cloud shook his head. "Something that advanced would take years to learn, otherwise there would be interdimensional travelers all over the place. We'd need to find Sephiroth again to get back, and even then we'll most likely need his cooperation. With Jenova in his head, that's impossible. We will just have to find some other way to get back. Wizards might have some magical method of transportation that can send you anywhere you've been before, like owls can find anyone they've seen before."

Yuffie looked down at her cat sadly before hugging it and pasting on a determined grin. "We'll find a way back, so try not to worry about the others too much. They can handle themselves, and so can we."

* * *

Despised, Chapter 2. 2,689 words. Updated November 2, 2012.


	4. Learning and the Train

Cloud snarled at the feather, slashing his wand at it viciously. He had been trying this spell for the past hour with no results, despite his following the little Charms professor's instructions to the letter. Yuffie had picked it and many other spells up almost right away and soon moved on to more advanced transfiguration, but here he still was, willing his wand to work. Flitwick darted around the room, organizing folders and arranging desks while trying to help the blond at the same time, though not very successfully. At the end of their session the professor sent him off to take a break, advising him to try the next day.

"Don't worry, many students take multiple days to learn spells, your friend Yuffie was an unusual exception, especially since she hasn't grown up around magic and doesn't seem to be the studious type.

That wasn't exactly true, Cloud thought as he left the classroom and tried to find his way to the Gryffindor tower. Yuffie might not have known about magic, but as far as he could tell her early years had been devoted to materia. The fat lady let him in with a yawn, not asking for a password as one wouldn't be set until school started in full.

"Hey Cloud!" Yuffie shouted from the top of the stairs. "Could you come stand on these? McGonagall says they turn flat when a boy stands on them, and I've been wanting to try it."

Cloud nodded and put a hesitant foot on the bottom step, jumping when they turned into a ramp and Yuffie came sliding down, cheering. He still hadn't gotten used to the changing staircases either.

"Thanks Cloud. I would say you should try it, but it doesn't work on the boys stairs, which I think is really unfair, but whatever. How did Charms with Flitwick go? Isn't he the awesomist? He's so tiny and it's adorable when he squeaks. I don't know how you could stand that Snape guy for so long."

Cloud shrugged, leaning against the wall. They had started out with potions, and though Professor Snape seemed to hate him, it was definitely the subject he enjoyed most, and was best at. It was kind of like cooking, which he had helped his mother with when he was little. Though he didn't have many exact memories before Hojo, he still had vague ideas of people, like personalities of a few people. It also looked like Cloud still had most concrete things he had learned, like how to read. That brought along with it recipes he had memorized. He had tried making some at the Seventh Heaven after defeating Sephiroth, but Marlene was the only other one who liked the Nibelheim. Apparently Tifa, being the mayor's daughter, hadn't had to live off of gardens and livestock.

"Yuffie, what type of food do you eat in Wutai?" Cloud asked curiously, surprised when she just looked at him skeptically.

"You're trying to tell me you never went to a Wutaian restaurant, mister ex-Soldier?"

Cloud blinked. "Yuffie, I wasn't actually in Soldier, you know that."

Yuffie stared at him. "Then why'd you go around calling yourself an ex-Soldier for so long?"

Cloud was silent for a long moment. He distinctly remembered telling the whole group the truth, but here was Yuffie saying that he never did. "Zack, some help here?" he whispered as quietly as he could, hoping Yuffie didn't hear.

'Sorry Spiky, but I got nothin'. You did tell them though, don't worry. My memories didn't get all messed up when yours did, so I think they're immune since I'm already dead. Maybe she doesn't remember because she was so sick on the airship?'

Cloud nodded slightly. It was more of an idea than he had, so he decided to go with it. "I told everyone that I had someone else's memories after that week in a coma, remember, Yuffie?"

Yuffie glanced away, staring at the fireplace. When she looked back at Cloud there was no realization in her eyes, and he sighed.

"Sorry Cloud, but I don't remember you ever saying anything like that. I remember Cid picking you up, but after that I got nothing. Maybe I was too sick to pay attention?"

Cloud nodded, looking down. "That's probably it," he murmured, though he was uncertain himself. 'I can't think of anything else that would make her forget, Spiky. Don't worry about it, she didn't take it too bad.'

"Seriously though, you had someone else's memories? That's hilarious! How'd you manage that? Hey, do you still have all their memories and your own? Would that make you their age pus your age? Ha, You're forty two, that's messed up."

Cloud put his hand across her mouth, preventing her from talking. "Shh, Yuffie, not so loud. Remember, the walls really do have ears and we didn't tell Dumbledore our real ages."

Yuffie nodded, and he pulled his hand away. She snickered a bit more before whispering, "I just think it's great that you can pass as a fifteen year old."

Cloud scowled. His time with Hojo had frozen his body at sixteen, and he didn't appreciate it one bit. "I'm not the only one who looks younger than I am," Cloud reminded her. Dumbledore had pegged her as sixteen, and she wasn't about to argue.

Yuffie made a face. "Hey, for a lady it's a complement when you look young besides, if he had gotten my real age, I don't think we would've been in the same year, especially considering how fast I'm learning this stuff compared to you," she remarked with a grin, moving to flick him in the forehead.

Cloud leaned back, easily avoiding her hand. "At least I didn't get kicked out of potions," he responded, Zack cheering him on.

Yuffie pouted and sat on the ground, looking up at him with wide eyes. "I still have to be in that class when school starts for real though. Hey, are you nervous? Dumbledore says we're going to have to take the train. It's been awhile since I've been around so many little people, you know?"

Cloud nodded, sitting down next to her. "As far as I can tell, there wasn't much of a school in Nibelheim, and when I joined Shinra I don't think I had ever seen so many people."

"Same here. I mean, my dad tried to keep me locked up, not that it worked very well, but Wutai's not actually all that big. And I had a bunch of tutors, so I never really knew anyone my age. Only a few days 'till we meet them. I just hope we're not too far behind in Defense Against the Dark Arts. McGonagall wouldn't answer me when I asked why the teacher wasn't here yet."

"Yeah," Cloud sighed. "Only a few days. I can't believe they're not letting us carry our weapons."

"Hey," Yuffie protested, "we'll be fine. You're awesome at Potions and Transfiguration, and I got Charms, Herbology, and Divination, though the teacher's a bit wacky."

Cloud blinked. "I'm really not that good a Transfiguration, and I don't know when Potions will be useful, not when we have Cure materia."

Yuffie jumped up. "Hey, maybe you can make a cure for Geostigma! Denzel would be so hap… Oh. I forgot. Hey, how about this. You get started on that cure, and I'll try and figure out how to get back. We'll heal Denzel and everyone, don't worry!"

* * *

Cloud and Yuffie sat in one of the compartments silently, watching the platform with wide eyes. More people than they had ever seen in one place swarmed around the back of the train, loading luggage a chatting as they wavered between the train and the platform. Adults stayed along the edges, waving to their children and they boarded the train. Yuffie had had the window open at first, but soon the noise had become too much for Cloud's Mako sensitive ears and she closed it.

As much as he disliked limiting his advantages, he would have to look into a spell to filter out noise if it was going to be this loud all the time. He could hear people in the compartments next to him, and pretty clearly too. It was easy enough to block out, but it still a little distracting.

"Why do we have to take the train?" Yuffie whined, making a face at the crowded platform.

Cloud sighed. It was going to be a long ride; that was for sure. "Dumbledore wanted to give us the 'full Hogwarts experience', whatever that is supposed to mean."

Just then the door slid open, and in walked a young, blonde girl. She looked from Yuffie to Cloud, commenting, "You should probably get rid of those wrackspurts," to both of them. She then promptly sat down at the far end of Yuffie's bench and took out a newspaper, which she held upside down as she read it.

Cloud and Yuffie looked at each other, Yuffie making confused motions gestures and scooting closer to the wall. Cloud shrugged and went back to staring out the window. The platform was nearly empty now so he opened the window again, enjoying the cool breeze on his skin. The train started and they left the platform and parents wishing goodbye behind, moving out into the countryside. Rolling hills and the occasional stream continued for much of the journey. Their odd companion stayed silent for the rest of the trip, and so their compartment was silent, as neither Yuffie nor Cloud could think of anything to say in the presence of the stranger.

The compartment door slid open once again, and the two faces in the door, looked completely surprised to see who was inside.

"You're not Ronnikins…"

"Quite right, Fred, I daresay we should apologize."

"But George, just look at these-"

"Dreary expressions, I know. We'll-"

"Just have to do something-"

"About it. Are you thinking-"

"What I'm thinking?"

"I think so," A different voice interrupted, causing the two orange, Cloud hesitated to call it red after knowing Reno, haired boys to jump. They turned to look at the girl who had spoken, and she put down her paper upon seeing their stares.

"I think so," she continued, "but if I had a tail, I would look like an Umgubular Slashkilter. You wouldn't want that, would you?"

And with that, the twins, for there was no way they weren't, turned tail and ran, leaving the door to slide shut behind them.

After that strange encounter the train slowed to a halt, and the sky outside was ominously dark. Yuffie and the blonde girl started shivering, and if it weren't for Cloud's Mako boosted metabolism, he had no doubt he would be too. It got cold to the point that they could see their breath in the air, and Cloud felt fear growing in his sternum. It spread throughout his body, paralyzing him. His eyes became wide and sightless, but he started to force his fear back, making his limbs move and turning to Yuffie.

She looked better than he felt. A bit of color remained in her cheeks and she was able to stand, but the girl on the inside was faring far worse. Curled up on the seat and sobbing, her newspaper fallen to the floor, she was taking this the least well. Yuffie sprang to her side, wrapping her up in a giant hug and carrying her to the outside edge of the compartment and sitting on the ground next to her. Cloud managed to slide to the floor on the other side of the girl, and the three of them huddled there until the train started up again.

* * *

Despised, Chapter 3. 1953 words. Updated November 4, 2012.

A little short, I know. Yesterday I didn't have time to write at all. Just to let you know, the main characters of this are going to be Cloud, Fred, and Sirius. A bit of a strange combination, but whatever. As you might have noticed, Pinky and the Brain was on my mind.


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